Method of electrically connecting a wire to a conductive body



Nov. 14, 1961 I UEBELMANN 3,003,221

METHOD OF CTRICALLY CONNECTING A WIRE TO A CONDUCTIVE BODY Filed Feb.20, 1957 METHOD OF ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING A The instant inventionrelates generally to electrical conductingelements, and moreparticularly, to a method and means for securing electrical conductingwires to an electrical connecting element.

Connecting elements which are employed in the transmission of electricalenergy must provide a relatively strong mechanical bond between thecurrent conducting wires, and the connecting elements as well as asuitable electrically conducting junction. The desired result may beachieved by pressing or soldering caps or collars on the ends of theconnecting elements to fasten the conducting Wires thereto or byupsetting the current conducting wires within the cylindrical socketsformed in the ends of the conducting elements.

It may be readily apparent that the use of caps, and/ or collarsnecessitates a considerable consumption of material and presentsinterelement capacities to the arrangement which pose a rather seriousproblem when dealing with the transmission of high frequency electricalenergy.

The present invention is directed principally to an upsetting process ofconnecting a current carrying wire and a connecting element wherein thefree shank of the end of the current carrying wire is bent throughsubstantially 180 and disposed within a socket formed in the connectingelement and subsequent to the introduction therein is upset by meanssuch as a punch to thereby achieve the desired junction. I

The invention will be clearly understood by reading the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a connector specificallyillustrating the disposition of the current carrying wire in the socketof the connector,

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to the view of FIGURE 2 showing the currentcarrying wire after it has been pressed into place, and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternate form of theinvention.

Patented Nov. 14, 1961 I ride, polyvinyl carbazole, polyamidepolyethylene or rubber hydrochloride.

It will be noted that the ceramic body 1 has bosses 3 formed integraltherewith to effectively protect the Aceramic resistant body 1 isprovided with elonthe elements are exposed to a great deal of moistureand other adverse conditions may make it highly desirable to envelopethe elements with appropriate protective coverings. It has provedadvantageous in certain applications to provide a plurality of thinprotective layers of different properties thereby forming in effect alaminated coating of protective material rather than a single outerlayer. In such instances, the coating may be comprised of athermoplastic or a hardening synthetic resin in addi* tion to thelustrous carbon material. It has been found that in applications whereinthe elements are to be exposed to severe use, the outer protectivelayermay be satisfactorily formed of material having substantial re sistanceto' puncture, such as for example polyvinyl chlo- The elongate socket 4formed in the ends of the body 1 is adapted to receive the currentconducting wires 5 as illustrated in the drawing. The sockets 4 aregenerally of a size suflicient to receive the conducting wire 5 when theterminal portions thereof have been bent upon itself to conform to theshape of a U. With the U-shaped arrangement of the wires 5, a goodmechanical and electrical connection may be readily achieved inaccordance with the teachings of the instant invention by tamping,forcing, or upsetting the free terminal end of the wires 5 afterdisposition within their respective sockets 4. The tamping operationnecessarily deforms the metal of the wires 5 and causes it to flowagainst the exposed faces -of the sockets 4. By reason of the frictionthus produced between the wires 5 and the body 1 of the connectingelement, retraction of the wires is nearly impossible yvithoutfracturing the wire or breaking the ceramic body 1. With the U-shapedconfiguration of the conducting wire, any attempt to separate the wirefrom the ceramic body 1 will necessitate the unrolling of the wire inthe socket 4 due to the fact the terminal portion of the wire has beenspread out causing its free end to be in intimate contact with thesurface of the interior of the sockets 4.

It will be readily apparent that good electrical contact is maintainedbetween the conducting wire 5 and the conducting layer 2 which has beenformed on the interior surface of the sockets 4 of the body 1. Incertain applications, improved electrical contact may be achieved, ifdesired, by filling any hollow spaces within the sockets 4 by asubstance such as a graphite solution or a conducting cement. Thealternate form of the invention shown in FIGURE 3 comprises a ceramicbody 11 having a socket 12 at one end, the sides of the socket having aseries of grooves 13. Disposed within the socket is the end portion ofthe current carrying wire 14, the L-shaped end 15 being upset to fillthe cavity similar to that shown in FIG- URE 2. A hardening cement,solder, or the like indicated at 16, affords additional securing meansfor retaining the wire in the body. Covering the body 11 is a protectivecoating 17 of lacquer and upon the coating 17 is a shrunk-on layer 18 ofgreat resistance to puncture. Layer 18 may be of polyvinyl chloride, apolyvinyl carbazole, a polyamide, polyethylene or a rubberhydrochloride. The hardening cement, solder, or the like indicated at 16completely fills all the hollow spaces or voids in the elongate socket12 in order to further increase the mechanical and electrical bondbetween the connecting element and the current carrying wire.

This application is a continuation in part application of an earlierfiled copending application Serial Number 326,444, filed December 17,1952, now abandoned.

Having fully explained the invention in accordance with the patentstatutes by means of some embodiments it is clear that the invention isnot to be restricted to these embodiments and it is desired to includewithin the invention all embodiments falling within the scope of thebend including a free shank extending substantially parallel andcontiguous to the unben't portion of the wire,

3 inserting said closed bend into a socket in the bod slightly larger incross section than said closed bend and shaped to accept said bend, andthereafter applying a sufficient degree of force axially against the endof said I free shank to upset said shank into tight engagement with 5the interior surface of said socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,835,602 Ker :he1'etal. Dec. 8, 1951 Holtzapple Aug. 13, 1957

